, 1887-07-17
WONDERFUL.
A Party of Scientists Manufactur-
ing Rain Near Sherman.
They Gain Complete Control Of
Clouds With Electric Wires.
How a Rain Storm May be Made
to Order at Short Notice.

the reason that they have been %sojourn-
ing elsewhere. Ranchmen and resi-
dents of the city have been overjoyed
at the visitations from heavens flood
gates, but have probably attributed
the showers to the usual causes.
Not so with the observing and
eagle eyed weather reporter of this enter
prising journal, however. That gentle
man has surmised that such heavy rain
falls at this season were due to extraordi-
nary influences, and yesterday became so
thoroughly imbued with this idea that he
visited and inspected the clouds which
continually hover over the summit Of the
Black Hills range of the Rocky mountains
in the neighborhood of Sherman, a settle
ment on the Union Pacific about thirty
miles west of this city. Upon his return
to headquarters at IL 80 last night he had
a tale to relate which is as improbable
and miraculous as it is truthful and relia-
BILE.
Upon the weather reporters arrival at
the station he observed a professional ap
pearing gentleman receive a package of
surveyors instruments from the conductor
of the freight train and carry them toward
a tent a quarter of a mile away. He fol-
lowed the bearer of the bundle and upon
arrival at the camp introduced himself as
the scientific editor Of THE LEADER. He
was Hospitality received, presented to the
other members of the party, who were
Professors Ripslager, Foutz and Orr of
the Smithsonian institute. The gentle
man whom he had first encountered was
10 less a parsonage than Prof. h. g. Dav-
idge, the eminent scientist, metallurgist
and astronomer, the author Of several
technical works and writer of many mag.
azine and encyclopedia articles. From
this latter member of the quartette the
Cheyenne man had no difficulty in ex-
tracing the information for which he was
searching. When the reported intimated
the u of his appearance in that region
Prof. Davidge smiled and said:
young man, this is a remarkable CO.
incidence indeed. You may not believe
it, but we left the city of Washington
July l for the express purpose of expert
menting as to the feasibility of gaining
control of clouds and causing rain to fall
il places and quantities to suit ALL"
After the young man" had remarked
that it was rather remarkable how those
condolences coincidated, the great scien-
fist continued:
For fifteen years [ have given the sub
iect more or less study and thought and
this spring concluded that the only way
to settle the question was to conduct a
series Of practical experiments in a re-
gion adapted to the purpose. Walk this
way and | will show you how we have
succeededin not only gaining absolute
control of the moisture bearing clouds but
have also become enabled to regulate the
quantities and duration of every rainfall
within a radius of 100 miles of our opera
ting point"
The reporter followed. mutely, as one
laboring under some strange spell, with
visions of the stage representations OF
Faust laboratory floating through his
excited brain. His imaginings in the
supernatural line were soon dispelled,
however. for upon rounding a small hill
with his guide he was in plain view of
what resembled and afterward proved to
be a series OF ordinary electric batteries,
the workings of which with relation to the
floating reservoirs, his conductor pro-
ceeded to explain in a matter-of f. fact
way.
"We have here" said Prof. Davidge,
IAN ordinary Van Deople dynamo with a
sufficient number of batteries, which pro-
duces the positive and negative currents
of electricity essential to the success of
our operations. The details of this great
accomplishment and the agencies through
which we effect the capture of clouds are
very ordinary. 1t is all done on the old
Benjamin Franklin kite flying plan. In
fact, that incident suggested the idea
originally. We simply send two great
Chinese kites attached to positive and
negative wires respectively through the
clouds which we desire to act upon. By
gradually increasing the currents and
carefully guiding the kites we can bring
two clouds together and cause a rainfall.
In the same manner we can direct the
course of the helpless captives and cause
a shower or hail storm in Laramie, Chey-
enne or Fort Collins upon a previous no.
tiication of fifteen minutes. OF course
this is not being done in the interests of
science alone. My associates and myself
have patented the process and propose to
establish ourselves in this locality and
literally sell rain. Our charges will al
ways be reasonable. We expect to not
only grow wealthy but to greatly benefit
mankind in this section and cause the
reclamation OF millions Of acres of arid
desert land"
The professor informed THE LEADER
representative that arrangements are well
under way for a mammoth excursion from
Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming and cast